Born in 1960, the shutter-bug caught Ashok Singh early on, since when he was in school. Later, the obsession for adventure
travel took hold of him. He has smoothly mated both these passions into one.
His early forays in Kashmir and Ladakh in 1976 and 1978 as an NCC cadet were to become a precursor of things to come.
By the time he finished his first 4400 km. motorbike journey of South India in 1979, a journey which he called "An Odyssey
to South," the hazy outlines of his next adventure were already forming up in his mind.
This time his travels took him over and beyond the Himalayas. Ashok Singh along with friend Brij and his trusted Yezdi,
crossed the treacherous Zozi-la to enter the fairytale land of Lamas and Lakes – Ladakh. Those were early days for adventure
travel in Ladakh and the place was really like the utopian "Shangri-la". He named this second 4900 km. motorbike journey
"An Odyssey to North."
As his romance with Ladakh grew in direct proportion to his years, he began dreaming of accomplishing the ultimate trek
of Ladakh --- The Ice Road Trek or simply The Chaadar Trek over the frozen and fractured Zanskar River in the intensely
cold mid-winter of Ladakh. He accomplished this gruelling trek in his 50th year in January 2010, the year of the Tiger.
In the process, he had to brave full blown gales and temperatures which went as low as minus thirty nine degrees
centigrade. This exhilerating as well as taxing journey and the couple of really close shaves that he had made him a
changed man. Indeed his whole perspective on adventure travel changed after that.
Ashok Singh has travelled and photographed extensively in the jungles of Central India and places like Sondher, Supkhar,
Chor Behra, Baghdalaka, Pipartola and Baghaii [right beside his jungle farmhouse] are his happy hunting grounds with
his Canon..
A book on his adventures is in the pipeline. As he sits in his jungle farm house at Bahaargunj on the periphery of Panna
Tiger Reserve, sipping coffee while watching the sun set over the Ken river and hearing a leopard call, many more such
adventures are forming up in his ever unsatiated mind.
Ashok Singh is a Seed–Farmer by profession. He manages his farm in the east U.P. district of Chandauli. He lives in
Varanasi with his wife Kirti, daughter Raavi, brother Amitabh and his wife Vinita. His
profession allows him the luxury of time to indulge in his travels and in his other passions like painting, rifle
shooting ,long driving journeys and playing Golf . He is an alumni of Vikas Vidyalaya,Ranchi (1979).and Law School,
B.H.U(1987).
